Car seat and method for fastening a car seat to a vehicle

Abstract

A car seat configured to be fastened to a vehicle, includes a seat shell and a belt guide disposed at the seat shell to redirect a belt set of the vehicle for rerouting the belt set along a deviation path from an original path. When the belt set is not engaged with the belt guide, the belt set is routed along the original path. When the belt set is engaged with the belt guide, the belt set is routed along the deviation path from the original path. The rerouted belt set improves the symmetry of forces encountered by the vehicle and also improves the kinetics of the car seat during a crash. A break-away feature in the belt guide advantageously absorbs forces at different times during a crash.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A car seat, configured to be fastened to a vehicle, the car seat comprising:
 a seat shell having a first side and a second side, and a belt path extending between the first side and the second side; and 
 a belt guide disposed at the first side of the seat shell operable to redirect a belt set of the vehicle; 
 wherein a portion of the belt set is engageable with the belt guide, the portion of the belt set in engagement with the belt guide being routed along a deviation path from an original path. 
 
     
     
       2. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 1 , wherein the belt guide is fixed at the seat shell, and an open channel is formed between the belt guide and the seat shell, the portion of the belt set is receivable within the open channel for rerouting the portion of the belt set along the deviation path from the original path. 
     
     
       3. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 2 , wherein the belt guide is a rigid structure made by injection molding. 
     
     
       4. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 1 , wherein the belt guide is anchored to the seat shell via a webbing. 
     
     
       5. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 4 , wherein the belt guide comprises a receiving slot and two support beams where a slit is formed between the two support beams and provided as a channel for the receiving slot, wherein the portion of the belt set is insertable into the receiving slot via the slit, and the portion of the belt set contained in the receiving slot is rerouted along the deviation path from the original path. 
     
     
       6. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 5 , wherein the belt guide is made by injection molding where the two support beams provide a break-away structure breakable at a predetermined force. 
     
     
       7. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 4 , wherein the belt guide is a rigid structure with an open slot, wherein the portion of the belt set is receivable within the opened slot, the portion of the belt set within the opened slot being rerouted along the deviation path from the original path. 
     
     
       8. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 7 , wherein the webbing comprises a rigid member connected to the seat shell and a sacrificial sew line between the rigid member and the belt guide, and the sacrificial sew line being breakable at a predetermined force to create a length of slack before a hard-stop is encountered. 
     
     
       9. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 7 , wherein the belt guide is made of metal. 
     
     
       10. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 7 , wherein the car seat further comprises a sacrificial break-away tab fixed at the seat shell, the webbing is sewed to the break-away tab to form a slack section between the break-away tab and a riveted end of the webbing, and the break-away tab being breakable at a predetermined force to let out the slack section before a hard-stop is encountered. 
     
     
       11. The car seat with belt guide of  claim 10 , wherein the break-away tab is made by injection molded plastic and comprises a notch cut in the center where the webbing is sewed to the center of the break-away tab. 
     
     
       12. A method for fastening a car seat to a vehicle, comprising at least following steps:
 configuring a belt guide disposed at a first side of on a seat shell of the car seat, the car seat having a belt path extending between the first side and a second side of the seat shell, the belt guide being offset from the belt path; and 
 using the belt guide to redirect a portion of the belt set of the vehicle; 
 wherein the portion of belt set engaged with the belt guide is routed along a deviation path from an original path.